Assessing Factors Affecting Fall Accidents among Hispanic Construction Workers: Integrating Safety Insights into BIM for Enhanced Life Cycle Management

Abstract

Falls are the most common type of accident in the construction industry, and falls to a lower level are among the leading causes of fatalities. Work-related fatalities due to falls, slips, and trips have been increasing, with Hispanic workers among the highest fatalities. This study investigated the association between fall accidents and attributes such as age, musculoskeletal pain (MSPs), sleep hours, safety knowledge, use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and working hours among Hispanic construction workers involved in building construction. This study collected 220 valid responses and used nonparametric chi-square tests and binary logistic regression to analyze the data. This study found that the location of the fall, MSPs, and use of personal protective equipment have a significant effect on the likelihood of having fall accidents. The strongest predictor of fall accidents was “fall from a ladder”, followed by having two or three MSPs. The use of PPE had the highest decreasing ratio in odds of fall accidents, indicating the importance of wearing PPE properly. The results show the importance of integrating safety management strategies within construction projects’ broader life cycle management. The insights list how project engineers can incorporate these findings into Building Information Modeling (BIM) systems to enhance project planning and safety measures in reducing fall-related accidents and their severe consequences. This study highlights the importance of addressing MSPs, properly using PPE, and reducing falls from ladders in the construction industry to prevent fall accidents among Hispanic workers and minimize their severe consequences.